Thread reel



Aug. 11, 1953 H. KITZROW 2,648,507

THREAD REEL Filed Nov. 1, 1949 INVENTOR. HERBERT KITZPOW HIS ATTORNEYSPatented Aug. 11, 195 3 THREAD REEL Herbert Kitzrow, Kettwig-Ruhr,Germany, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to J. & P. Coats Limited, Glasgow,Scotland, a corporation of Great Britain Application November 1, 1949,Serial N 0. 124,753 In Germany July 29, 1949 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to a thread reel of the class comprisingassembled mating components.

Thread reels must comply with several requirements: they must be ofaccurate dimensions, ensure smooth running, resist climatic temperaturedifferences, and have suflicient strength to withstand the high tensileand bending stresses set up by the pressure of the thread when thethread is wound onto the reel; to save transport costs, thread reelsshould also have the lowest possible weight, also it must be possible toincise or notch the reel in such a way that the incision for the end ofthe thread can be made without difficulty, while at the same time acertain resilient action is required to hold the end of the thread inthe incision.

l-leretofore, thread reels have usually been made of wood, for example,of birch wood, with the result that reeling machines are equipped forwooden reels.

Nevertheless, certain disadvantages attach to the use of wooden reels.When the reels are made by turning, or by milling, that is to say, bythe use of cutting tools, there is great wastage of material, the massof which is greater than that of the finished reel, thus involving asquandering of material. If clean surfaces are to be obtained, thecutting tools must be continuously kept sharp, which necessitatesfrequent exchange and replacement of tools.

The use of synthetic thermoplastic material for the manufacture ofthread reels avoids the disadvantages peculiar to wood. Reels made ofsynthetic materials are insensitive to damp and to climatic temperaturediiferences and do not undergo deformations that could impair accuracyof running; their surfaces are smoother than those of even carefullymachined wooden reels.

Production in a press mould or injection mould ensures not only accuracyof shape, but also such uniformity of the products that the rejection ofreels during winding, which has hitherto been unavoidable when usingwooden reels, is practically eliminated. A further point is that theconsiderable wastage of material which is characteristic of themanufacture of wooden reels is eliminated. In addition, syntheticmaterials may be dyed any desired colour before moulding, so that anadditional dyeing operation, which is unavoidable when making colouredwooden reels, may be dispensed with.

The above-mentioned advantages derived from the use of plasticallymouldable synthetic materials for the production of reels would becounterbalanced by disadvantages when synthetic materials were merely tobe used instead of Wood and made in the same solid shapes asconventional wooden reels. Reels of knoWn synthetic material so made areheavier than wooden reels.

The present invention avoids the aforesaid disadvantages and results ineconomy in the costs of raw material and labour, as well as theavoidance of rejects.

A thread reel according to the invention comprises assembled componentsmated in a plane containing the longitudinal axis of the reel and eachformed as an open hollow shell moulded from thermoplastic material andhaving thin walls, the components being moulded with interengageablemeans and being of such flexibility as to be receptive of a self-closingincision for securing the loose end of the thread, and, when mated,remain mated due to the natural resiliency of the material, therebyforming a strong reel body.

Suitable thermoplastic synthetic materials are polystyrene andpolythene.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows one component of a two-part reel; and

Fig. 2 shows a section along the line II-II of Fig. l, viewed from theright.

As illustrated, the thread reel consists of identical halves, of whichonly one is illustrated in Fig. I, viewed from the middle plane. Theassembled reel is a thin-walled hollow body of rotation having a middlecylindrical part or barrel l interposed between two flanges 2 and 3 ofarch form in cross-section which at their outer edges merge into endwalls 4 and 5, in which are located hub bores 6 and 1.

As can be seen from Fig. 2, each half of the reel extends over 180. Inthe region of the flanges are stiffening ribs 8, which are substantiallyat right angles to the plane of junction of the components, and whichmay also, as is indicated in broken lines at 8', extend over the entireinternal length of the reel.

Near the points where the cylindrical part or barrel l merges into theflanges 2 and 3, there are provided stiffenings 9 which carry holes H1or pins H. The diameters of the holes Ill and of the pins II are suchthat, when two complementary reel halves such as the half shown in Fig.1 are joined together, the pins fit tightly into the holes and remaintherein due to the natural resiliency of the material, thereby ensuringthat the halves will hold together to form a strong reel body.

Preferably two pins I I on the one hand and the 3 two holes on the otherhand are, as shown in Fig. 1, diagonally opposite one another. Thus, forthe production of a thread reel completely identical reel halves may beused, so that the twopart reel may be manufactured in a single mould.

If particularly strict requirements are imposed in respectofI'the-natureof the surface, the reels may subsequently be polished ina polishing machine.

The moulded material is easily incised and a thread-holding incision isprovided in the outer edge of the flange 2, as indicated at 29. Theincision 29 may be made in anydesiredmanner and due to the resiliency ofthe material i's self closing.

As the result of investigation, it has been found that it is possible,While ensuring great strength, to make a reel moulded from p'bl'ystyreneor poll's thene with such thin Walls that it is about- 50% lighterthan the conventional wooden reel ,ofthe same external shape and:dimensions. This factor is of decisive importance, particularly wherefreight charges are concerned. It is to be under-'- stood, however, thatthisfinvention is not limited to. the production of reelswhich wouldsecure a saving of weight of the order above indicated. and theexpression thin walls is to be understood as includingjwalls ofsuchthinness that by the use of the thermoplastic materials above mentioneda substantial reduction in the weight of the reel is securedascontrasted with a conventional wooden reelof the same external .shapeand dimensions.

The moulding ,Of the half reel .body is effected in manner known per sefor pressing ,or injection moulding. The production of..syntheticmaterial reels inmouldsalso makesit possible to impress in the body ofthe reel, particularly in its end faces,1 without anadditionaloperation, the name of the manufacturer, a factory or a trade mark, oran indication of quality, thickness of thread, orthelike, in intaglio orin relief. The sticking on of printed circular labels may thus.bedispensed with.

Having now particularly described and ascertained. the. nature of mysaid, invention and in 4 what manner the same is to be performed, 'Ideclare that what I claim is:

l. A thread reel consisting of two identical halves moulded of aresilient thermoplastic material and having mating faces joined in adiametral plane of the reel, each of said halves being formed as anopen'hollow shell having a semicylindrical body portion with outwardlysloping flanges at the ends thereof with semi-annular end wallsextending radially inward from the peripheries of said flanges andinterengaging means on the mating faces of each of said halves forholding the 'two halves in assembled relation, I ere'n'gaginig'meanscomprising sockets and pins wanting pinson the respective halves beingarranged t'o'project into the sockets on the other half and: tomake aforce fit therewith whereby the two halves are locked together by theresiliency pf the thermoplastic material.

'2. A' thread reel as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said halvesincludes, an internal stiffenin rib moulded integrallyltherewith andextending lengthwise thereof in a plane'substantially at right angles tothe mating plane of the two halves.

HERBERT KITZROW.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 445,598 McCahey Feb. 13, 1891 1,159,204 Forney Nov. 2, 19151,213,630 Halliday Jan. 23, 1917 1,906,495 Stine May 2, 1933 1,977,714Beran Oct; 23, 1934 2,264,116 Howsam 'Nov. 25, 1941 2,299,532 Cronk eta1 -1 Oct. 20, 1942 2,344,665 Adams Mar. 21, 1944 2,370,699 Warren Mar.6, 1945 2,472,248 Cox June 7, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date434,062 Great Britain Aug. 26, 1935

